Very helpful.

Ragnarson has developed a very "helpful" streak. It's been building for awhile now. He loves the broom, and will get it out of the closet and push it around for minutes at a time (a long span of activity for him).

A few days ago I heard a strange squashing sloshing noise and realized I hadn't closed the bathroom door. Running to the bathroom, because squashing and sloshing + baby could equal mess of unrecordable proportions I found that Ragnarson was plunging the toilet, lovely.

He also loves the snow shovel, and likes to push around any snow that makes it up onto our porch (not as much as used to, since we have nice overhangs now). Several times he has completely cleared the deck, neatly enough that Manimal remarked once upon coming home: "you shoveled the porch!" No, no, that would be your 18 month old son.

And then there is the not so helpful tool using side of his nascent personality. A few minutes ago I caught him using his toybox as a step stool. He had reached up onto the counter and liberated the butter from it's tray, holding it in his left hand while picking chunks off with his right and eating them. Ugh.

So far we are "gate free" at the new house, except for one on the front porch, which essentially turns the whole thing into a big outdoor playpen. I'm trying to teach him the phrase "Make noise outside." Won't our neighbors be thrilled that we are back.

Ragnar...go play outside!